The artwork entitled “In the Heat (The Pigs)” is an oil on canvas painting by the renowned artist Paul Gauguin, created in the year 1888. It was fashioned during Gauguin’s residence in France and is considered a work of Post-Impressionism, falling within the genre painting category. The vibrant piece is currently held in a private collection and is an exemplar of Gauguin’s bold use of color and non-traditional subject matter that typifies the Post-Impressionist movement.
The artwork features a pastoral scene with a distinctive use of color and form, displaying the rich palette of greens, blues, yellows, and reds that Gauguin is well-known for. The composition shows a reclining figure, likely a peasant or worker, taking respite in the midday sun. The figure’s body is rendered with sweeping curves and a warm skin tone that contrasts with the cool hues of the surrounding landscape. The presence of pigs, suggested in the title, is understated and merges harmoniously with the undulating forms of the environment. This blending of figure and ground highlights Gauguin’s departure from the realistic portrayal of subjects, opting instead for an expressive, dreamlike presentation that suggests a narrative beyond the immediate visual elements. The bold outlines and flat areas of color are indicative of the synthesis style, which Gauguin and his contemporaries used to break away from the naturalism that dominated the art of the preceding era.
